Of Bandits and Knights
by Flying Thoughts
Summary: Ava was a little girl when she was kidnapped by bandits. Now, years later, she looks for a chance to escape while leading the bandits in a ambush. Percival remembers the day his village was attacked, and thought everyone had died until he saw Ava kill a fellow bandit to save him. Now, they work together to save the one thing that is important to them - each other.


When I was a little girl, my village, Beludy, was attacked by bandits. Men were slaughtered mercilessly before me. Woman and children screamed, and begged to be spared. They weren't. My father was cut down and my mother taken hostage. The bandits took me too. I was far too young then to realize that it was too organized for a bandit attack. The men who kidnapped my mother were holding me in the air at that moment when I heard them plan my dark future.

_"Hey, lets take her back to the boss, he said he needed new girls."_

_"Yeah, she'll grow up to be fine looking. Can't wait to get my hands on her then."_

I didn't understand anything they said, but had the feeling that it was bad. As they started to walk to their bandit group, I kicked the man who held me in the ribs. Hard. He let out a gasp, put me down, slapped me, before picking me up and walking forward again.

From then on, I hadn't said a word, and I hadn't moved any part of my body.

The bandit's "boss" intended to keep me for himself and wait until I grew older to do God knows what to me. But one day, as I watched the bandits practice and fight, the boss threw me in there. By that time, I had grown older and stronger from the laborious tasks they had me do. I was lucky for that when many bandits ran at me. Though I got hit a few times, I ended the fights victorious. Which led me to where I am today.

Today, I'm twenty two and the commander of the bandit's makeshift army. I had fighting skills that could match the boss's and the mind of a leader. Everyone looked at me for orders, and I knew they wouldn't hurt me intentionally.

Despite all of this, I still hate the bandits and their boss with a burning passion. I never forgot where I came from, and knew that one day, I would either die or escape from the camp, after all, if I mess up on a mission, my head would no longer be attached to my body.

"Ava! We're leaving to ambush a patrol of Camelot with the king and his best knights! We need to go now!"

I nodded and walked behind the bandit, ready to lead the ambush. We crept through the woods silently, waiting for the patrol to pass by our hiding spots. When we spotted the red cloaks and silver army, we tensed, and when the patrol got closer, I could see King Arthur and a lanky looking boy with a red neckerchief. I tightened my grip on my two daggers, which were attached to black ribbons so I could throw them and yank them back. They were right below us, and everybody got up,ready to jump them. "NOW!" I screamed and jumped in front of a horse, scaring it to knock the rider off. Another bandit killed him, leaving me to go find my next victim.

I fought with a tall, muscled man who had no sleeves. We were equally matched in strength, but I was faster than him. I darted around him, not wanting to kill him but knowing what would happen if I went back to the boss, having failed to kill the king or leave a message. Another bandit came up to help me, and we slowly overpowered him.

At that moment, a tree branch hit the ground next to me, and would have hit me should I have not moved. Something in me stirred and I realized that this was my chance. I could escape from the bandits right now. So I turned and cut off the head of the bandit next to me. The man looked at me in surprise, and I stared at my knives in shock. It was covered in the blood of my "comrade". I didn't understand why the knight didn't kill me right there, but soon enough the battle was over and I was surround by knights pointing swords at me.

"Free," i whispered to myself, "I'm free. He'll think that I died and won't come looking for me. I don't have to do this anymore!" I dropped my knives and fell to my knees in shock and relief.

Someone else fell to their knees. I looked up to see the knight I was fighting. I looked at his face, knowing that I saw him somewhere, but couldn't remember. Until he spoke.

"Ava? Ava is that really you?"


End file.
